Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Women’s Awareness and Knowledge of Abortion Laws: A Systematic Review

Background

Incorrect knowledge of
laws may affect how women enter the health system or seek services, and it
likely contributes to the disconnect between official laws and practical
applications of the laws that influence women’s access to safe, legal abortion
services.

Objective

To provide a synthesis
of evidence of women’s awareness and knowledge of the legal status of abortion
in their country, and the accuracy of women’s knowledge on specific legal
grounds and restrictions outlined in a country’s abortion law.

Methods

A systematic search was
carried for articles published between 1980–2015. Quantitative, mixed-method
data collection, and objectives related to women’s awareness or knowledge of
the abortion law was included. Full texts were assessed, and data extraction
done by a single reviewer. Final inclusion for analysis was assessed by two
reviewers. The results were synthesised into tables, using narrative synthesis.

Results

Of the original 3,126
articles, and 16 hand searched citations, 24 studies were included for
analysis. Women’s correct general awareness and knowledge of the legal status
was less than 50% in nine studies. In six studies, knowledge of legalization/liberalisation
ranged between 32.3% - 68.2%. Correct knowledge of abortion on the grounds of
rape ranged from 12.8% – 98%, while in the case of incest, ranged from 9.8% -
64.5%. Abortion on the grounds of fetal impairment and gestational limits,
varied widely from 7% - 94% and 0% - 89.5% respectively.

Conclusion

This systematic review
synthesizes literature on women’s awareness and knowledge of the abortion law
in their own context. The findings show that correct general awareness and
knowledge of the abortion law and legal grounds and restrictions amongst women
was limited, even in countries where the laws were liberal. Thus, interventions
to disseminate accurate information on the legal context are necessary.

1WHO Department of Reproductive Health and
Research, including UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of
Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, World Health
Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

2

2Department of Population, Family and
Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public
Health, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America

1WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research, including UNDP/UNFPA/UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Special Programme of Research, Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland